Zen Harbourside Bristol - Mini review

Hot Pot - one of the most traditional Chinese dining experiences available in Bristol, a few places do it but I doubt they're as nice as Zen. The restaurant is located in the harbourside on Millennium Square, well decorated and with a slightly classier feel that your average Chinese restaurant, it ticks a lot of boxes. 

The whole premise was that you cooked as much as you could eat, the list of ingredients was staggering: Rashers of lamb and beef, pork luncheon meat, fillets of fresh white fish, raw shell-on king prawns,  two types of tofu, bread-balls, crab sticks, crab balls, mussels, delicious pak-choi, cabbage, cubes of potatoes, Chinese mushrooms, glass noodles and I am sure I am forgetting some! 

The chilli sauce was FULL of chillis, when running the little scoop (pictured) you came up with a bunch of fresh, dried and flaked chillis. It was also extremely well balanced in terms of seasoning, having an almost peppery taste to it with the spice being a natural addition and not too over powering. The stock was plain but simple vegetable stock but I found cooking the meats in the plain stock then dipping them in the chilli sauce for flavour was the best way to cook them.

Soup options happily bubbling away on a camp stove

Fish and vegetable options!

This was AFTER we'd finished an hour and half's worth of food!

The whole experience was so much fun, we spent an hour and half in the restaurant cooking and tasting everything and didn't even notice the time! It was a little daunting though, I was a bit uneasy about the mix of raw food on the table and not having separate utensils to use to place it in the soup – I decided to hold the chopsticks in the stock to boil them off between rounds. 

Overall this was one of my favourite dining experiences of 2014, I would heartily recommend the hot-pot concept for everyone to try. Having been to Zen before I know the normal menu is very good, next time I’m back I’ll be sure to give it a proper review!

Please note that this was a Groupon offer so is not 100% reflective of Zen's usual offering but it was such a great evening that I couldn't help but break my study hiatus to blog about it! 

Anyway... back to work :( 

Over and out
- the EnFoodiast<

Turtle Bay, Review.

17/02/2014 - Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay is a whole load of cool wrapped up in a restaurant, awesome surroundings, reggae music, 241 cocktails for most of the day and most importantly delicious Caribbean food.

On the night I drank three of the cocktails, each with a particular flavour and twang. To start a FIERY Jamaican Mule, with spicy Ginger Beer and spiced Rum, followed by a couple of sweet and refreshing Strawberry Daiquiris, Havana rum based drinks but with the added fresh lime and strawberries, and to finish a cocktail based on orange liquor whose name escapes me - cannot remember the name, but I was a few drinks in by then! Favourite was the Daiquiri by far. 

Now on to the food. Carribean food has always been a favourite of mine, I love the earthy flavours, so I was looking forward to trying this menu. Two types of main-meal were on offer, alongside lighter lunch dishes and tapas-style cutters. The choice between One-Pot dishes "rich, slowly simmered and uniquely Caribbean" and the "succulent authentic Jerk dishes" on the Jerk Pit BBQ section was a tough one but in the end I settled for a Trinidad Curry Chicken One-Pot. 

The pot was brought to the table and lid removed to 'unveil' this gorgeous looking curry

Tender chicken breast slowly cooked into a delicate yet tangy curry, topped with sweet onion chutney and fresh shavings of coconut then served with a side of well-seasoned "rice 'n' peas" - the pot dish was gorgeous. The Jerk sauce on the Cheesy Jerk Fries was also delicious, although I did find myself a little disappointed as they were sweet potato fries, the texture of which I just can't bring myself to like even though the majority of people seem to love them. The Coleslaw complimented the meal well as promised and I particularly enjoyed the sweetness from the raisins. 

Score :

Food: 9.5/10

My meal was amongst some of the best Carribean-inspired food that I have had in the UK. If I went back I would ask for potato fries but that's my fault for being weird with sweet potato!

Atmosphere: 10/10

Such a feel good place. Loved the music, the decorations and the bustle. In a great location right on Broad Quay. 

Service: 9/10

The waitress was excellent and actively made recommendations as to what to have. May have waited a few minutes longer than expected for the last cocktail but I put that down to the bar being busy.

Value for Money: 9/10

241 cocktails are a bargain, made very professionally with quality ingredients. Food is also good value, spent £25 per person but for what that included I can't complain. 

It is rare that a restaurant ticks so many boxes simultaneously, but Turtle Bay really did. If you want to go not only for a great meal but a lively, fun experience I could not recommend it more.

Over and out
- the enFoodiast